Protective properties of Terminalia superba extracts against fungal pathogens in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptericin-lacZ II) as a Model

Aondo-ngu Emmanuel Orsar, Ozoji Ifeoma Glory and Burke Williams Ghate

Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research
Published: May 21 2026
Volume 14, Issue 2
Pages 43-53
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20330131

Abstract

Fungal infections pose significant health challenges, and the identification of natural antifungal agents remains a growing area of research. Terminalia superba, known for its bioactive components, was investigated for its protective properties against fungal pathogens using Drosophila melanogaster (Diptericin-lacZ II) as a model organism. The plant materials were air-dried, pulverized, and extracted using solvents (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water) based on solvent polarity. The percentage yield was calculated, and phytochemical screening was carried out using standard methods. Antifungal susceptibility testing was conducted using the agar well diffusion method against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were determined using broth dilution techniques. Additionally, D. melanogaster flies were infected with A. niger to evaluate the in vivo antifungal efficacy of the extracts. Acute toxicity testing of the extracts was performed, and survival rates were recorded over seven days. The extraction process revealed that methanol produced the highest percentage yield of bioactive components, with 21.6% from the stem and 12.7% from the leaves. Hexane yielded 9% and 4.3% from the stem and leaves, respectively, while aqueous and ethyl acetate extracts produced lower yields. Phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids in all extracts, whereas alkaloids were absent. Antifungal activity was highest in the hexane extracts, showing zones of inhibition ranging from 6 ± 1.53 to 18 ± 0.84 mm for stem extracts and from 4 ± 0.00 to 18 ± 0.55 mm for leaf extracts. Methanolic extracts also displayed significant inhibition, whereas ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts exhibited the least activity. The MIC and MFC assays revealed that most extracts had an MIC of 250 mg/ml and an MFC of 500 mg/ml. Probit analysis determined the LD50 values to be 47.18 mg/ml and 53.03 mg/ml for the methanolic and hexane extracts, respectively, while the standard drug, Fluconazole, had an LD50 value of 29.07 mg/ml. In infection studies, 60 mg/ml of the methanolic extract achieved a survival rate of 62.22%, comparable to fluconazole’s 75.56%, whereas the hexane extract achieved a survival rate of 53.33%. These findings suggest that T. superba extracts, particularly the methanolic and hexane extracts, possess significant antifungal properties and may serve as potential alternative therapeutic agents against fungal pathogens.

Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster, antifungal activities, acute toxicity, survival rate.

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